Last time I visited my in-laws in Sweden was in 1969. It was very impressive country at that time. Sweden had self checkouts at gas stations in 1969! Going back to United States felt like I was going to a less advanced country!
They advanced themselves right into the stone age.
Computer tech was expensive back then but such systems could be scaled for the financial needs of Sweden to implement such tech in the stores there as the population was small. I remember the UPC codes coming on line in 1969 how-ever so the way of the future was tested in these small nations.
This country could not have done it in 1969 for 200 million people. The tech was way under powered, the size of the computers were huge and the expense of it would have topped the federal budget.
Now-a-days it’s a whole new world with computer power cheaper per byte and per gigaflop than dirt. Billions could and are being strung into the financial corrals with hardly a strain on the tech...(the human element including hackers is another issue).